The Safety of Those Impacted by the Building Safety Crisis

Hina Bokhari: How are you working to ensure the safety of those impacted by the Building Safety Crisis?

Sadiq Khan: Thank you, Chair. Five years ago, 72 Londoners including 18 children were killed by the fire at Grenfell Tower. Last week I attended memorial services and was privileged to be able to spend time with survivors, bereaved families and the wider community, who are bravely continuing to fight for the reform needed to keep people safe in their homes. I am in awe of their courage, determination and strength. I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure they achieve justice and long-lasting change. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry is uncovering the truth of what happened, and it is clear that systemic failings caused the tragedy and the ensuing building safety crisis. Inquiry evidence has revealed an industry that prioritised profits over people, in which fire safety was at best an afterthought, where testing was manipulated and where Government regulations were known to be weak.
I have made it a priority to take whatever meaningful action I can to contribute to solutions to these issues. My
London Plan takes the ground-breaking step of considering fire safety at the early stages of building design and I am currently consulting on London Plan fire safety guidance. New homes on Greater London Authority (GLA) land commissioned via my development panel and those funded by the latest Affordable Homes programme are required to meet higher safety standards than the building regulations. I have set up a building safety team to administer cladding remediation funding in London. I continue to lobby the Government to ensure fire safety is prioritised and I have written to building owners to urge them to implement in full those Grenfell Inquiry recommendations that relate to them. I have used my convening powers to bring partners together, for example, by developing the External Wall System (EWS) 1 best practice guidance.
However, my powers on this issue are limited and urgent Government action is essential. I am deeply alarmed at the Government’s decision to reject a key Grenfell Inquiry recommendation around personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) for disabled residents and I have written to the Prime Minister to express my grave concern. The building safety crisis is one of the most pressing challenges facing our country. It is unacceptable that thousands of Londoners continue to live in fear in their own homes. I will continue to do everything I can to help find long-term solutions to this crisis.

Hina Bokhari: Thank you for your answer. Despite the fact that 15 of the 72 people who died at Grenfell [Tower] were disabled, the Government has U-turned on implementing the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendation to have PEEPs, which you mentioned, in place for all disabled people living in high-rise buildings. In that letter that you just mentioned on 19July2021, you gave your support to PEEPs and stated, “I am committed to doing everything in my power to ensure that Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations are implemented.”
Given your commitment and the lack of Government action on PEEPs, will you make it a condition of your £4.8billion Affordable Housing programme that all those in receipt of the money must have PEEPs in place for disabled residents in their existing and planned high-rise buildings?

Sadiq Khan: Thank you for the question. As I said in answer to my question, I have written to all those in London with tall buildings to encourage them to have PEEPs. We are still hopeful the Government will make it a duty. In the absence of it being a duty, it is very difficult to add additional conditions in relation to the funding we give, but we are exploring what levers we have. It is probably not sensible, Chair, for me to talk about those before we have had final advice in relation to what we can do, but we are considering all the options we have in relation to exerting pressure in the absence of the Government doing the right thing to ensure that the buildings in London are safe.
I make this point, Chair. On the one hand, we are housing families who have disabled people in tower blocks. On the other hand, it appears we are not giving them safe passage should there be a fire in the building. That cannot be right.

Hina Bokhari: Thank you. Many councils still do not have a PEEP policy in place. The Labour-run Camden Council was one of those with no PEEP policy and has stated that it seriously needs to have a common approach to introducing PEEPs across London. A London-wide PEEP protocol must be considered to ensure that PEEPs are in place. This could create precedents on how regularly PEEPs are reviewed and ensure key information is shared with the [London] Fire Brigade. Will you commit to working with the Fire Brigade and boroughs to design and implement a London-wide protocol for PEEPs?

Sadiq Khan: Chair, I cannot give a running commentary on the work we are doing until it has reached the end, but if Sutton, Richmond and Kingston are doing good work, I am more than happy to work with them. I have written to all building owners and managers on two occasions now about the importance of acting on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations and also, as the question suggests, asked them to adopt the PEEP recommendations. It is really important for those who manage buildings - sometimes it is councils, sometimes it is housing associations, sometimes it is private developers, sometimes it is universities - to make sure they have a plan in place to address this issue. The Fire Brigade will assist and provide guidance, but it is really important that we have some certainty here.
The problem with the approach of it being done council-to-council or even just pan-London is it is a lottery. That is why we need national requirements for what is a national problem.

Hina Bokhari: The building safety crisis uncovered that there are issues with medium-rise buildings as well with serious fire safety defects, with many disabled Londoners living in those blocks. What will you do to ensure that PEEPs can be made for all of those disabled Londoners who are currently living in buildings with serious fire safety defects but regardless of height?

Sadiq Khan: The recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry was in relation to high-rise buildings, but we know that many buildings that are below 11 metres or between 11 metres and 18 metres have combustible materials in them. We are working with the London Fire Brigade (LFB). There are three approaches - those who are the developers, those who are the owners and those who manage - but also those who live in the premises as well. We are approaching all four of those groups to try to make sure all buildings are safe, not just those above 18 metres but also those that are not as tall. I mentioned in the past the five-storey buildings in London that have burned very quickly and so it is not just tall buildings we are talking about. Of course, disabled people live in storeys below 5 but also below 11 as well as those above 18 metres.
We are trying to get that consistent approach. That is why I make the point. Without clarity and a duty from the Government, it makes it very difficult because you are applying different policies depending on different buildings in different parts of London. That is why we need the consistency, which we hope we will get. We hope the Government does do a U-turn on this really important area.

Onkar Sahota: AssemblyMemberBokhari, you are out of time now. Thank you.

Recycling Rates in London

Leonie Cooper: Can you update us on progress towards reaching your target of 65% recycling of waste by 2030 and the work being undertaken to reach this target?

Sadiq Khan: Thank you, Chair, and thanks for your question. London has a household recycling rate of 33% in 2021 and was one of only two regions in the country to show year-on-year recycling increases between 2016 and 2020. The most recent Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) recycling data, including the impact of lockdowns, showed London experienced a 0.5% decrease against the national drop of 1.5%. All boroughs now have Reduction and Recycling Plans, and all boroughs will collect the six main dry recyclables by July next year [2023]. I welcome the commitments of the new administrations in Barnet and Wandsworth to roll out borough-wide food waste recollections. After this, only six boroughs will not collect food waste borough-wide and I am supporting them to introduce this service as soon as possible. Through ReLondon, I have made the Flats Recycling Package available to all boroughs, which includes measures councils should take that are proven to increase recycling in flats. ReLondon is also delivering the London Recycles campaign, providing information to Londoners about effective recycling of all materials.
However, achieving my 65% target will require a significant improvement in commercial recycling. I have no powers to direct businesses, but through ReLondon I convene a Borough Commercial Waste Network to support businesses to introduce and expand recycling services. Through my reviews of borough contracts and strategies, I am encouraging boroughs to increase their ambition and ensure that commercial waste is included as a core service. I have lobbied the Government for London’s fair share of Landfill Tax receipts to invest in recycling infrastructure and improve performance and I continue to engage with the Government on the implementation of its Resources and Waste Strategy to ensure that London’s needs are reflected.

Léonie Cooper: Well, thank you very much, MrMayor. I wondered if you could just set out what have been identified as the key issues making it difficult for councils in London to move to weekly food collections and to increase the amount that goes into the recycling streams. Even with reducing it down to just six councils and with the rollout in Barnet and Wandsworth, we are still lagging behind nationally. There is something that is stopping us here from moving ahead even further than you have just described.

Sadiq Khan: Yes, if you park for a second the lack of political will that there was with at least a couple of the councils before the recent elections, there are a number of real, genuine concerns and constraints. One is some councils are in long-term contracts, which they cannot get out of without paying huge compensation. Nobody wants compensation to be paid to businesses because of a long-term deal and a date to recycle so we are working with the councils and those companies to see what we can do around that. One is the uncertainty around the New Burdens Funding from DLUHC, which will support the costs in the long term of some of the long vehicle lead-in times. There is an issue though in London with the large number of flats and that is just a physical constraint. If you have a large number of flats, there is limited space for segregation. If you have small flats, there is limited space indoors as well and no front garden. These are issues that other parts of the country just do not have and that is why the ReLondon plan that I have talked about, the Flats Recycling Package we talked about, is one way to address some of these concerns. We cannot escape the fact also that many Londoners are renters, they keep moving, there are different policies with different councils, and they often are not keeping on top of them. Those are some of the issues. A final issue is also many Londoners are new to the city and English is not their first language and they are not aware of how we do things in different boroughs. We are trying to address those issues. None of those issues, by the way, are insurmountable and that is why it is really important we carry on making progress.

Léonie Cooper: Do you think it would be possible and do you think there is any mileage to working with London Councils to introduce some more standardisation in terms of the way that the different segregated waste streams are collected? We have this issue that you have just mentioned, which is that Londoners do move around and most people, apart from politicians, do not know where boundaries between boroughs, let alone between wards, are. What you put in your green box in one borough goes in a brown tin in another. Is there anything that could be done to get London Councils and ReLondon to tackle that issue? It is tough for Londoners if you move house and sometimes even a couple of streets away the arrangements can be completely different.

Sadiq Khan: When I meet leaders from across the world, mayors, they find it incredulous that we literally - I am not blaming the councils - cannot get agreement about which day to collect refuse or which colour boxes to use and what foods to recycle and it is difficult. I am fully in favour of councils having autonomy over a variety of policy and I do not believe devolution means us taking powers away from councils at all. I am more than happy - it will give me huge pleasure - to pass on to the Chair of London Councils your suggestion and I look forward with glee to the response from them. Sometimes, there are genuine challenges in relation to this, but also if you think about it logically, we do not want all the big lorries going down the roads on the same day across the city, causing the challenges they cause. There are logistical reasons, which is what the council will explain. Some of it is because the same equipment is being used in different parts of the borough in different parts of the city on different days, so we do not want too much new machinery being bought. There are genuine reasons why, but you are spot on. We have to make it easier for people to recycle and do the right thing. It appears that we are putting obstacles in the way of people who want to be good citizens. Let me take it away - I know the spirit within which your question was asked - and speak to the Leader of London Councils to see what she can do to try to iron out some of these issues.

Léonie Cooper: OK. It absolutely has to be done in partnership; it is not something that could be imposed. I just wondered very briefly if you could just tell me. You mentioned Landfill Tax and London getting its fair share. Are we getting our fair share and, if not, how far short are we falling?

Sadiq Khan: No, we are quite a long way short, and we continue to lobby the Government in relation to this. Somebody mentioned in answer to a previous question my positive comments about [the Rt Hon] MichaelGove[MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities]. We are hoping that we can make progress here in relation lobbying on this. We are simply not going to meet our targets and we are simply not going to support our Government in meeting its targets unless we get some support there and so we--

Léonie Cooper: Perhaps you could write to me with the figures for how far we are short?

Sadiq Khan: I am happy to. Yes, sure.

Léonie Cooper: That would be very great. Thank you very much.

Buses in London

Elly Baker: TfL is currently proposing to reduce the bus network by 4 per cent by 2024/25. A further cut of 18 per cent may also be required under the managed decline scenario. How has the Government’s demand for financial sustainability by April 2023 led to these reductions?

Sadiq Khan: In 2020 the Government set a number of conditions before it would provide Transport for London (TfL) with the emergency funding it needed because of the impacts of the pandemic. These requirements included a plan setting out how TfL would achieve significant savings by reducing operational expenditure and service levels. This plan included reducing the extent of the bus network by 4% by 2024/25.
Let me be clear. The proposals TfL published on 1June [2021] to implement these requirements were put forward only because the Government required TfL to do so. In planning for these required changes, TfL has done everything it can to protect Londoners and maintain a good service on the buses so many of us rely on. It has conducted careful analysis to ensure that, even with these changes, sufficient capacity will remain to meet current and projected demand levels. Despite the work TfL has done to cushion the impacts, it is clear that these changes will have a negative impact on Londoners. Sadly, frequency changes alone would not deliver the savings required by the Government, so the consultation includes plans to withdraw some routes. These are difficult choices TfL has been forced to make, but the need to deliver the savings required by the Government means that it currently has no other option.
What is worse is that unless the Government comes forward with a fair funding settlement for TfL, this will just be the tip of the iceberg. The changes TfL is currently consulting on would lead to a total of a 4% reduction in the bus network. Without the Government urgently providing a sustainable funding deal, TfL will be forced to move to its managed decline scenario, which would see a total of an 18% cut to bus services, more than 100 routes in total. In that scenario, TfL would be forced to cut routes where there are not good alternatives, including across outer London.
Managed decline would also mean a 9% cut to the Tube network, the equivalent of losing an entire line, and could mean a return to the rundown services seen in the 1970s and 1980s with widespread gridlock and disruption across the capital, putting our national recovery at risk. We must all do everything we can to prevent this from happening.

Elly Baker: Thank you, MrMayor. I share your concern again about the impact that the potential bus cuts would have on Londoners. Would you be able to provide us an update on the process of consultation that is going on at the moment and how you are seeking to balance the needs of Londoners, particularly those who more often use the bus - low-income Londoners, older and younger Londoners, disabled Londoners - and how you are balancing the needs of those Londoners with the requirements of the Government and its funding plans?

Sadiq Khan: Yes. Thanks for raising that important point and, also, thank you for encouraging constituents across London to respond to the consultation. It is really important they do because, although we have to make these savings, what we want to do is try to ameliorate and try to reduce the impact of these changes on Londoners in relation to routes, in relation to the contraction of routes and in relation to the frequency of buses. Including the input of the sorts of Londoners you are talking about will help TfL in relation to making the changes in a way that has the least disadvantageous impact on Londoners.
Neither TfL nor I want to do these changes. They are not desirable. What we are trying to do is get the input from Londoners so we can make the changes that cause the least damage to those Londoners who rely on public transport. You will be aware because you have raised it with me in the past. Particularly in outer London, there are not alternatives to the bus. Also, you regularly remind me that often the poorest Londoners rely upon buses because of the fare we have managed to freeze for the first five years, and we are in charge of it. It is still competitive in relation to the alternatives. It is important that we take on board the response.
That is why I would encourage still not just Members of the Assembly but those you speak to in your communities to respond so that we make the decisions that are causing the least harm to people we care about so much.

Elly Baker: Thank you. I am sure there are lots of people still responding to the consultation and I hope they do.
I want to follow up on the buses in outer London that you mentioned. I think everyone would agree that actually we need more bus provision in outer London, but what sort of prospect is there for expanding that - something that people agree on - when the funding conditions are as they are?

Sadiq Khan: Look at the evidence before the Government started attaching conditions. From 2016, until it started attaching conditions, we had increased bus services in outer London with 11 new bus routes. On 11 separate bus routes there were extensions. On 47 bus routes we increased the frequency of buses. That led to more people using the buses. Also, the Hopper fare, where you can change as many times as you want within an hour and not pay any additional fare, was really important to outer London. We have also increased the bus availability going to Elizabeth line stations, to get people to the Elizabeth line stations.
The problem is we are consulting now on a 4% reduction. We may soon be consulting on an 18% reduction in our buses. The idea we will be able to improve public transport in outer London is for the birds with those sorts of conditions being attached from the Government. That is why managed decline is so bad and that is why you are seeing business leaders now writing publicly to the Government expressing their concerns. There are no winners in relation to managed decline and that is why it is really important for the Government to realise this.
The final point I would make is, when you turn the tap off, it is then very difficult to turn the tap back on. When you go to other cities around the world - I am not going to mention them - you can see the consequences of years of lack of investment in relation to the service that is already there, in relation to renewals and in relation to expansion going forward. That is why it is really important for the Government to understand it is in danger of cutting its nose off to spite its face with its anti-London policies.

Elly Baker: Thank you, MrMayor. I am really concerned that the Government simply does not want to support public transport to the extent that it needs to. Thank you for your answers.

Boosting solar power on London roofs (2)

Siân Berry: How much new capacity has been achieved by your current programmes to increase solar PV on London’s roofs?

Sadiq Khan: Thank you for your question. Boosting renewable energy like solar photovoltaic (PV) is not only an important factor in tackling climate change and reaching net zero by 2030 but can also help to protect Londoners from high energy prices in the future and help to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.
Since I was elected in 2016 solar capacity has increased by 34% in London, largely down to programmes delivered from City Hall, and my Solar Action Plan sets out five objectives to help meet my net zero target and build on the
151 megawatts already installed in London. I am helping more residents install solar through my Solar Together London programme, which is in its fifth and biggest phase, with over 3,500 households registered. Prior to this phase, 1,900 households had installed solar with the capacity to generate an estimated 4.5 megawatts. My Retrofit Accelerator Homes and Warmer Homes programmes also enable fuel-poor and low-income households to benefit from solar.
My Retrofit Accelerator Workplaces programme has enabled public-sector organisations including schools to install over six megawatts of solar. I am helping the community sector develop and deliver solar PV through my London Community Energy Fund, which has seen around £1.8million allocated to support 125 projects since 2017, driving the installation of 1.5 megawatts of solar. Through my Green New Deal Fund, I am working to install solar PV on the Old Oak and Park Royal Industrial Estate, using this to pilot a delivery model for large-scale PV for industrial estates across London. I am also working to increase solar on new buildings.
Under my London Plan, all major developments need to meet minimum onsite carbon-reduction targets including by maximising renewables such as solar PV. Since 2016, 36.4 megawatts of solar PV has been committed to be installed and the second phase of my Solar Skills London programme has just launched, creating career pathways for the next generation of solar experts and increasing the number of registered installers in London.
I am doing what I can to help Londoners install solar, but I do not have the power or resources to deliver all the solar London needs to achieve net zero by 2030. The Government now needs to step up and provide the funding and leadership to unlock London’s full solar potential.

Siân Berry: Thank you very much, MrMayor, for this answer. It is actually really positive that things like
Solar Together are proving more and more popular. You can see that increase. You can see the 34% increase in what is there since you took over. Your target is to almost double it. We are not there yet but that is some progress.
As you know, we spoke about solar power last September [2021] and about the potential barriers there are from the planning system, particularly for households, small businesses and community groups. You were very inspired, apparently, and you said, “Can we take that away and pick your brain about what we can do?” You promised us some research on the planning issues across London and that is one reason why I tabled the question today.
Your Deputy Mayor’s [for Environment and Energy] team has been in touch this week to say that it has recently finalised this work and it is just going through the necessary processes to be published and Shirley Rodrigues [Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy] has asked to meet me once this is available. That is progress, too. Do you have any headline findings from the research that you can share with me and the rest of the Assembly today?

Sadiq Khan: No, it has not come to me yet. It goes through a process where it comes to me and, as soon as it does, I am happy to share it with you offline in relation to what the headlines are, yes.

Siân Berry: OK. Yes, as you I know, MrMayor, we are always worth listening to. I am really looking forward to seeing that and will be meeting Shirley to talk about it.
The reason I have such a sense of urgency on this and why I keep pushing you with questions and asking for this research is, I have homeowners from all over London - from Camden, Richmond and Merton most recently - getting in touch about their planning issues with solar panels in conservation areas, for listed buildings and even on flat roofs in these kinds of buildings.
There are lots of good, green-minded businesses, too. I went to the Rio Cinema in Hackney a couple of weeks ago, went up on its roof and saw for myself the space where they want to install solar panels. That would power their projectors and their lights and cause no harm at all. Yet they are struggling with getting planning permission. More positively, the lawyers at Doughty Street Chambers just got their application for solar panels on their listed offices in Camden approved, but again not without a struggle. There are loads of examples like this of good people facing delays.
I want to get your team clearing these barriers as soon as possible. We have waited for nine months for the research on the planning issues specifically. Can you promise me an enthusiastic and swift action plan on these issues when it comes in?

Sadiq Khan: There is a lot in that question.

Siân Berry: I was just giving you the picture across London.

Sadiq Khan: If I even dared to answer a question as long as that, I would probably be heckled by those guys over there. Let me try as quickly as I can.
I always - and I hope you have experienced this over the last six years - work collegiately with people with good ideas. To be fair to those doing the research, Siân, they had to speak to councils. They had to respond. There was an election that took place that distracted the councils. We have now had the stuff in, which we are going through, but I am always happy to share with you the action plan that comes from the research.
Just to remind you, we agreed that removing the permitted development [rights] was, in hindsight, the wrong thing for the Government to do. It means that for those who want to have solar panels, which actually preserves the building because it is preserving their way of life by addressing climate change, it is more difficult to do so because they have to go through hoops. I am more than happy to work with you and more than happy to have you continue to, in a fraternal way, chivvy us to go even further, of course.

Siân Berry: Yes, no problem. I will bring this all up with your Deputy Mayor [for Environment and Energy] when we meet, but you can get more councils doing what Kensington and Chelsea have done, for example. You can possibly issue new guidance. Also, there is the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. We can push upwards for some changes there, too. I am very nearly out of time, but hopefully we can speak about this again soon.

Onkar Sahota: Thank you, MrMayor.

Clean air as a human right

Zack Polanski: Do you support Ella’s Law, which would protect clean air as a human right?

Sadiq Khan: Yes, I am proud to join with Baroness Jenny Jones and RosamundAdoo-Kissi-Debrah to support this Bill in Ella’s[Adoo-Kissi-Debrah] memory. Clean air must be a human right. We know that the health burden of exposure to air pollution falls most often on the poorest and most deprived neighbourhoods. This is a social and racial justice issue, and no one should have their health or life chances harmed because of the air they breathe. This is why I have taken significant and prolonged action to improve London’s air quality and the results speak for themselves. Air quality has improved five times faster in London than the rest of the country. I am proud of my record, but there is more to do. This Bill is part of a groundswell of calls to do more about the dangers of air pollution. There is a growing movement of cross-party politicians, non-government organisations (NGOs) and ordinary people across the country who are demanding the right to breathe clean air. London’s elected leaders and representatives must also play our part.
Crucially, [Baroness]Jenny’s[Jones] Bill seeks to put the scientific evidence, including the World Health Organization (WHO) targets for pollution, at the heart of environmental standards. This is something I have long called for but which the Government notably failed to do with its Environment Act or with its recent consultation on new Air Quality Standards. I will continue to do what I can to ensure that London has the best air quality of any major world city, including working to meet WHO interim targets by 2030, a decade ahead of Government proposals. It is past time for the Government to step up and to deliver the same level of ambition for the whole of the country. There is now a small window of opportunity as the Government is finalising its targets this year. Setting a target 18 years into the future condemns yet another generation to a legacy of toxic air pollution and I continue to call on the Government to take the opportunity to put this right.

Zack Polanski: Thank you, MrMayor. This is a really uplifting and resounding “Yes” so thank you very much for that. This moment has to be bigger than all of us and I really applaud collaboration, not competition. I am pleased to hear that you will be supporting Green Party peer [Baroness] JennyJones and I am sure you will be using your influence to also influence the Labour Lords as well when the Bill actually comes, and it is good to see you nodding there.
Can I just focus on our other cities and focus on the leaders of key cities and city regions, the metro mayors. What specific action will you take to also lobby them to make sure they will be supporting the Clean Air Bill, Ella’s Law?

Sadiq Khan: Yes, and also a former Member of this Assembly as well.

Zack Polanski: Indeed, and Deputy Mayor.

Sadiq Khan: We should also give the Assembly credit.
The Metro10 (M10) meets regularly. It sounds really pompous, but there are ten metro mayors; apologies for the pomposity and this is an issue that has been raised with colleagues on the M10 as well. We will continue to work together where we can learn off each other, to learn best practice and to see how we can improve the air in our various regions. The Government simply will not meet its targets without the cities playing their role. I should also add the UK100 does a really good job, working with the smaller cities, who are not in metro mayor areas, and so nobody should feel that other parts of the country are being left behind. A combination of the M10, core cities and others are playing their role. Of course, the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) does not affect any other city besides London, but the Leader of Glasgow comes regularly to C40 events because of the history Glasgow has with the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) and so forth.

Zack Polanski: Thank you for your cooperation on this. No further questions.

Action Plan on Transparency, Accountability and Trust in Policing progress

Caroline Russell: How confident are you that the progress made so far on your Action Plan on Transparency, Accountability and Trust has improved the way young people are policed in London?

Sadiq Khan: Our Action Plan on Transparency, Accountability and Trust in Policing was co-produced with Londoners, including young people, with aims to improve trust and confidence in the MPS, which is central to keeping our city safe. We have achieved a lot since its publication and delivery continues at pace. We have created real opportunities for young people to be involved in the delivery of the action plan, including six public review meetings, through which communities directly inform this work and hold us to account for delivery. There are traffic stops pilots, which saw the MPS recording vehicle stops to identify any disproportionality relating to ethnicity, and has been published, and the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s [Police] Race Action Plan has taken our lead with a commitment to developing a new code of practice, policy, and guidance, to drive change in this area nationally.
Following a review of pre-arrest handcuffing, the MPS has revised its policy to ensure officers are accountable for their use. The custody record review pilot, which has focused on children, is strengthening our oversight and opportunities for improved practice in ensuring the rights of detainees. I have also made £2.1million available over three years for community-led officer training, and we have heard from young people and officers in Lambeth and Southwark that this is working well. The review of community scrutiny is underway with arrangements for the pilots being progressed. Black Thrive have been contracted to deliver the wider community engagement review and they have delivered several workshops at last week’s public review meeting. A young person now sits on the Disproportionality Board and youth voices will also be represented in the External Reference Group, which is in the final stages of recruitment.
However, I am not complacent. Policing London is complex and the challenges we face are always evolving. With gaps in trust and confidence having widened over time for young Londoners aged between 16 and 24, particularly among young females and young people from Black and other minority ethnic groups, delivering change will take time and a continued focus.

Caroline Russell: Thank you, MrMayor. Your action plan was produced in response to a massive outpouring of emotion and rightful criticism of the police following the Black Lives Matter protests. You promised it would improve trust and confidence and deal with community concerns about disproportionality in the use of police powers. Progress is supposed to be reported quarterly and until last Wednesday the most recent update was December. That is a six-month gap in reporting, therefore the update was three months late. It is difficult for Assembly Members to hold you and the MPS to account without that up-to-date data. Will you just briefly make sure going forward that these updates are published quarterly as promised?

Sadiq Khan: I am more than happy to. Some of the reasons why the public meetings have not taken place is because of the pandemic and they have been hybrid. However, I am more than happy to take that away, yes.

Caroline Russell: Thank you. The action plan becomes more vital and urgent with every passing day. You shared some data with me in response to an MQ showing that strip search is being used disproportionately on Black Londoners. There are three mentions of strip search in your action plan and two of them are about adding strip searches to the action plan dashboard, which I asked you about in March, and has not yet been done. Therefore, strip search looks to be a gap in the action plan. How are you planning to address this?

Sadiq Khan: We are working closely with the IOPC on this very issue, and I am more than happy to ask the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime to write to the Member. As she will be aware, in particular with children, there are serious issues raised by ChildQ and it has since been reported in the public, therefore I am not breaching confidences, about two other children. However, I am more than happy to get SophieLinden [Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime] to share with the Member some of the work we are doing with the IOPC on this very issue.

Caroline Russell: Thank you. That would be very helpful. As you say, there have been several high-profile and shocking cases of strip-searching children. There was Child Q, Olivia, as well as a third case that was confirmed recently by the Acting Commissioner. I know you have an independent custody visitor pilot in your action plan. However, the strip search of Child Q did not occur in a police custody suite, therefore there are strip searches that are taking place in locations that are not covered by your action plan. Will you and the MPS end the practice of strip-searching children except in very exceptional circumstances with strict safeguards in place?

Sadiq Khan: To be fair, the rules are already quite clear, and that is one of the reasons why the IOPC is now looking at gross misconduct in relation to breaches of the rules. Therefore, there are two issues, (1) is are the rules clear enough, and (2) is how they are used by police officers. That is one of the things the IOPC is looking into. Again I am more than happy, without breaching confidences or in any way affecting what happens with the IOPC and their investigation, to ask the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime to share with the Member the work that has been undertaken, some of which I know will reassure her.

Caroline Russell: Thank you. Certainly, these experiences of strip search are worryingly traumatising for young people, and it is not a new issue. My colleague AssemblyMemberBerry has been asking about strip-searching back to 2018. Therefore, it is just really important that these safeguards are in place so that young people are protected. Thank you.

Tackling rise in Fraud

Unmesh Desai: Last month’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) Crime figures shows that last year there was a 54% increase in fraud and computer misuse offences as compared to pre pandemic levels. How confident are you that the Government is taking fraud seriously?

Sadiq Khan: Thank you, Chair. The most reliable figures for reported fraud cases show that in 2021 there was a 15% rise in England and Wales compared to 2020, with a slightly lower increase in London of around 10%. The estimated figure from the ONS crime survey has the increase in England and Wales much higher between 2019 and 2021 at 54%, as you say. Our Police and Crime Plan sets out our plans to help tackle fraud and how it will engage with national law enforcement agencies on fraud prevention.
The MPS Economic Crime Command has over 300 officers working to combat crime, cybercrime, and combat fraud. Our ongoing partnership with the Cyber Resilience Centre also ensures there is regional support for small and medium-sized businesses and third-sector organisations to reduce their vulnerability to cybercrime. However, fraud is a crime that does not respect force borders, which is why we need urgent action nationally.

Unmesh Desai: Thank you, MrMayor. I think you partly answered my first supplementary question. Just going back to this point of how seriously the Government is taking fraud. Earlier this year, LordAgnew, Minister for Counter Fraud, resigned in late-January over the Government’s decision to write off £4.3billion in fraudulent COVID loans. He called oversight of the scheme nothing less than woeful and he accused the Government of arrogance, indolence, and ignorance, in its attitude to tackling fraud, which costs us something in the region of £137billion a year. A damning indictment and not exactly confidence-inspiring stuff.
Then, given the scale of this problem, do you not find it astonishing a week later the Business Secretary [the Rt Hon] KwasiKwarteng [MP, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy] on the [BBC] Sunday Morning show said that fraud and online scams are not problems that “people experience in their daily lives”. Do you think that is a reflection of the Government’s real determination to tackle this problem head on?

Sadiq Khan: I suggest the Government Minister spends time speaking to those pensioners who have been defrauded and lost their life savings because of fraud. They should speak to those who have responded to a text message or an email and been the victims of fraud and cybercrime as well. One of the challenges with fraud and cyber-fraud is it does not respect boundaries, whether it is a city boundary or a regional boundary. That is why we need a national strategy to respond to this, including treating everybody equally.
I do not understand why businesses close to the Conservative party appear to be treated one way and others accused of benefit fraud treated another way.

Unmesh Desai: A supplementary question I wanted to ask you, what could be done at a national level to ensure cooperation with all the relevant bodies?

Sadiq Khan: It is very important. It is not just a policing issue. There is trading standards, there is Action Fraud, there is Age UK, there is cyber helplines. Of course, there is a police function. That is why we need a joined-up national strategy, drawing the various threads together, giving people resilience and knowledge and information to avoid them being victims in the first place. This is no different, by the way, to the other areas of crime we talk about. The best way to reduce crime is to stop it occurring in the first place. That is why prevention is really important and that is why working with AgeUK and others is a crucial part of a national strategy, which is what we need from the Government.

Unmesh Desai: My final question again comes to the use of resources. As I understand it, the MPS has around 300 officers who tackle all economic crime, although of course all frontline police officers do get some training. This is a reflection of the national picture across England and Wales where fewer than 1% of police officers are dedicated to working on crime. It would be useful to know your views on this.

Sadiq Khan: There are two points here. One is there was a concern raised earlier about consultation not being meaningful. The Police and Crime Plan that was consulted on did not have enough attention placed in this area. To give Londoners and others and Members of the Assembly credit, one of the criticisms you had, and you responded by saying, “We need more on fraud and cybercrime.” Therefore the Police and Crime Plan as it is now published has much more on fraud and cybercrime.
The second issue is in relation to when you have finite resources, when you have had 12 years of cuts, you have to prioritise and ration what you have. Rightly, violent crime has been the focus. However, what we do need is a focus also on fraud and cybercrime as well. That is why we need investment from the Government in relation to additional police officers, so that we can tackle this issue as well as a national strategy.
When you speak to the victims of fraud and cybercrime, they are as traumatised and as upset and as unhappy as victims of other forms of crime. We do not want a hierarchy in relation to what is given importance and what is not in terms of victims of crime. That is why support in this area is really important. That is why we mentioned other agencies other than the police, because it is not just a policing issue, but clearly more police officers will assist us, given more of a focus in this area.

Unmesh Desai: Thank you, MrMayor. I will finish on this note. In my view, and from speaking to my constituents, fraud and online scams are indeed part of their everyday life experiences. Thank you.

Sadiq Khan: Thank you.

Onkar Sahota: Thank you, MrMayor, for that. This brings us to the end of all the questions on the question paper. Thank you for your answers, MrMayor, and you are free to leave if you so wish.

Missing Children

Shaun Bailey: What are you doing to prevent children from going missing in London and will you consider implementing the measures called for within the unanimously agreed London Assembly motion earlier this month?

Sadiq Khan: Every child in London should be safe and feel safe, as should the communities around them. There has been a decline in the number of incidents of missing children in London, but we must strive to do more to reduce the number further and keep our children safe. My Police and Crime Plan clearly reflects the importance we place on keeping London’s children safe and free from exploitation and violence and on improving the response to missing people. It sends a clear signal to the partnership of organisations with a role in protecting those who go missing and addressing the circumstances behind them doing so.
Currently, all incidents of missing children, handled and investigated by the MPS, are recorded on the force’s dedicated platform for missing people. I will continue to work with the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) officers to understand how we use this most effectively to better identify those children who do go missing earlier. My Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, SophieLinden, has chaired dedicated meetings to oversee MPS Child Protection and Safeguarding practices following the serious failings identified by HMIC[FRS] back in 2016. The most recent inspection found that more officers have received training about missing children and have a good understanding of the link between a child going missing and the risk of exploitation. The MPS has also introduced the Philomena Protocol to improve information sharing between partner organisations when a child goes missing and this has led to a 50% reduction in missing incidents in some care placements and an average of a 29% reduction across all targeted placements.
We should also recognise how the wide variety of additional services funded by City Hall also plays a vital role in safeguarding some of the children and young Londoners at greater risk of going missing or coming to other harm. We know that some of London’s most vulnerable children can go missing multiple times a year. City Hall-funded programmes such as county lines Rescue and Response and London Gang Exit are pivotal in helping some young people to feel safer and find stability in their lives, reducing the risk of them going missing. In addition, many of the policies and commitments within my refreshed VAWG Strategy address key issues that can lead to people going missing such as exploitation and grooming, domestic abuse and sexual violence. There is always more to be done and that is why I will continue to work closely with partners across London to help keep our children safe.

Shaun Bailey: Thank you for that answer, MrMayor, and good afternoon. MrMayor, there were 22,801 incidents of children going missing in 2021 and that was from a cohort of children of some 8,414. I want to concentrate on the comment you made about going missing multiple times and that is an average, by the way, of children going missing of 2.7 times in that year. What more can be done to prevent children going missing after this first occurrence?

Sadiq Khan: Yes, thanks for raising the question and good afternoon as well. One of the things that we are doing is working more closely with councils and those in the care sector. If you look at what happens in “children’s homes” or “care homes”, what is leading to a child “running away” and the work done when they run away, there is an interview and they go back with the council, who conduct the interview. What is being done then to prevent a further occasion where the child goes missing? You will be aware the interviews are conducted by the council so we are seeing what can be done there when that interview takes place to see if there are any issues that have arisen that can be addressed. You will be aware that unfortunately sometimes it is gangs recruiting vulnerable children, giving them enticements. There is a policing responsibility as well, not just because of safeguarding but because often the gang leaders are involved in serious criminality. That is why I mentioned in my answer deliberately, AssemblyMemberBailey, county lines and the Gangs Exit work we are doing as well. It is a policing issue as well as a safeguarding council issue.

Shaun Bailey: Thank you. I put a motion to the Assembly recently, which was unanimously passed, and floated some ideas around how we could affect this problem and of course in 2014 there was a report written by the Police and Crime Commission called Keeping London’s Children Safe. One of the things it talked about was better sharing of information. Now it would appear that since 2014 that situation has improved. Do you think the sharing of information is done efficiently enough at this point between councils, police, and so forth?

Sadiq Khan: I think councils and other partners do have legitimate concerns around sharing data and we can understand what those concerns are around sharing data. The MPS’ Philomena Protocol, which was introduced a couple of years ago, helps alleviate some of those concerns. There has been a greater sharing of data and I mentioned in my answer, AssemblyMemberBailey, some of the reductions in relation to missing children because of that greater working. A lot of this comes from having better relationships and we are trying to improve relationships. Nobody wants to criminalise a vulnerable child and I think they are improving. Could they be better? Yes.

Shaun Bailey: OK. Can I ask you for a commitment and what I want to do here? Around bus safety, for instance, we have a Vision Zero. Could we have the same Vision Zero for missing children in London? I accept that it is a complicated situation because children are going missing multiple times a year, which means there is a back-story there; it is not just sort of a one-off for any given child. Could we at least have the ambition to have zero children go missing in London? Although the numbers have gone down, the trend is going up currently and if we do not have it as an ambition, I worry that it will grow, and it will grow, and it will grow. Of course, if you speak to schools, they will tell you about the impact of the pandemic and children not returning to school and we all know that gang activity in London has become, for want of a better term, quite professionalised. I wonder if in the future we will be dealing with an issue at a greater rate than we have done so we do need this Vision Zero policy, this Vision Zero focus.

Sadiq Khan: We should have aspirations of zero children going missing, just like we have an aspiration for zero homicides as well and I am really keen to work with partners to make sure we can fulfil that aspiration. Unlike road deaths and injuries on the road, nobody would think it is inevitable that a child goes missing. That is why it is really important for us to work with partners to fulfil that aspiration. One of the problems with road deaths is people think it is part and parcel of having roads and traffic; people will lose their lives. I think that is wrong. That is why there was that target for Vision Zero. I know in other conversations we have had about zero targets for homicides and stuff, nobody would accept any homicide is acceptable, just like nobody would accept any missing child is acceptable.

Shaun Bailey: OK. My last thing, Mayor, is could we go back to the MPS and ask for a richer dataset? When you go through the data, there are lots of gaps like not knowing the age of the children, ethnicity of the children, etc, etc, which would all be very important in keeping children safe in London. Is it possible to ask the MPS to look again at its protocol and the level of data it captures and not just capture data for data’s sake but data that would be useful in keeping children safe in a preventative way?

Sadiq Khan: Yes, the question before that you asked was very important about sharing data and a lot of the information the MPS has is data from other partners. Everyone needs to understand we are not simply ticking a box; the data needs to serve a purpose. You are spot on. You will be aware - I am sure you are because I know you follow this closely - but there is a disproportionality in who the missing children are in relation to ethnicity, right?

Shaun Bailey: Yes.

Sadiq Khan: You are right, in gender as well, and so you are spot on. It is not simply ticking a box that we have the data, but actually it has to be useful. I am more than happy, Chair, to take that away and ask the MPS to speak to partners as well because they often provide the data, the raw data stuff. It is a really good point and well made.

Shaun Bailey: Thank you. Back to you, Chair, thank you.

London Weighting, Key Workers and the Cost-of-Living Crisis

Onkar Sahota: What progress are you making to review the London Weighting paid to workers in London?

Sadiq Khan: I am deeply concerned about the impact growing cost-of-living pressures are having on Londoners. The London weighting is applied by many employers with a national footprint for their employees based in London to account for the higher cost of living in the capital. I committed in my 2021 manifesto to gather evidence on how it is applied and lobby for greater consistency.

Sadiq Khan: I am deeply concerned about the impact growing cost-of-living pressures are having on Londoners. The London weighting is applied by many employers with a national footprint for their employees based in London to account for the higher cost of living in the capital. I committed in my 2021 manifesto to gather evidence on how it is applied and lobby for greater consistency.
Research by Trust for London and Loughborough University on how the London weighting is applied across different industries was completed in May2022, updating previous research from 2016. The latest research recommends a minimum London weighting of £9,600 in inner London and £6,549 in outer London to cover the additional costs of a minimum standard of living. This is driven by housing and childcare costs and will be compounded by the current rate of inflation. Applying this weighting would not only help those on the lowest pay in the capital but also low- and middle-income workers in London. The research places particular emphasis on the outer London figure, which is considered to be the minimum weighting required to access job opportunities in central London.
I am clear that all employers should pay their workers a decent wage. That is why I support and advocate for the
London Living Wage, which is currently £11.05 per hour, exceeding the Government’s National Minimum and
National Living Wage rates, which are simply inadequate in London. The London Living Wage is the only rate of pay calculated to meet the true minimum cost of living in London.
My colleagues will continue to work with Trust for London and the Living Wage Foundation to ensure that
London weighting research findings are aligned with the work of the Living Wage City Action Plan, which will be published in November [2022], focusing on low-paid sectors such as health and social care, cultural and creative industries, hospitality and service provision. I will also continue to call on the Government to take further steps to protect Londoners from the cost-of-living crisis, especially helping low-income households by increasing benefits in line with today’s inflation.

Onkar Sahota: Thank you very much, MrMayor. You make a very important point that the London weighting allowance has not been reviewed for the last 20 years and that the only way to get around this is by getting a decent London Living Wage.
Do you think that as a result of this that London is losing out on talent and that key workers are not able to work in London?

Sadiq Khan: It is a big concern we have. When you meet with nurses in particular and those in early years learning, they are really worried and others as well. Education, big issue. Cleaners, big issue. There is a real concern about the inability to recruit and then to retain those that they train up. We know that a large number of Londoners aged 30 and above are leaving London because of the cost of living and the failure of their wage to meet the needs of living in London. It is a big concern in relation to those who do stay. They are living further and further distances out from places of work and they are travelling in an hour or an hour and a half each way each day. It is an issue that needs to be addressed. The London weighting is one way to address that as well as of course the Living Wage.

Onkar Sahota: In December 2021 you launched your list of key worker occupations to encourage local authorities and housing providers to ensure intermediate housing is available to London’s key workers. Are you able to provide me with an update on that, please?

Sadiq Khan: Yes. We have had a long consultation in relation to who would be the key workers who are eligible for the intermediate housing. We consulted with trade unions, emergency services and local authorities and there is now a list of essential occupations that will be given preferential treatment when it comes to the allocation of housing. Local authorities and housing providers that allocate housing will use the list of essential occupations to allocate in particular, Chair, shared ownership and London Living Rent to those people who are on the essential list. They ostensibly are the key workers that you talked about in your first question.

Onkar Sahota: OK. The Metropolitan Police [Service] (MPS) is reportedly offering a £5,000 cash bonus to recruit officers from other forces around the country. Do you believe that this would not be the case if the Government gave a decent living wage to officers working in London and the rest of the country?

Sadiq Khan: There are a number of things in relation to the MPS recruitment drive. One is over the last few years we have seen a net export of MPS police officers joining other police forces outside of London. When you speak to officers leaving, one of the reasons they give is because they cannot afford to live in London. They cannot afford to work in London because of the additional costs involved. What the MPS is trying to do is to be innovative in relation to this incentive for officers to move to London. I accept by the way £5,000 does not go near enough to meeting in the cost of living in London but it is a start. What we need from the Government is, finally after 12 years, an end of austerity. We need the Government to recognise the importance of people’s income being at least above inflation and also recognise that our public servants, whether you are a police officer or a teacher or a nurse, deserve to get a decent day’s pay for a hard day’s work.

Police Duties

Susan Hall: What actions are you taking to support Metropolitan Police Officers to carry out their duties when the public prevent them from doing so?

Sadiq Khan: The safety of Londoners is my number one priority and to achieve this it is imperative that our police officers are able to carry out their duties safely with the trust and confidence of the communities they serve. The vast majority of police officers who work extremely hard to keep us all safe are doing their jobs effectively and respectfully and are supported in this by the public. However, there are occasions when the public are preventing officers from doing their legitimate jobs and this is unhelpful and potentially unsafe. Our officers must be able to conduct their duties free from interference and disruption.
In my time as Mayor I have provided significant support to our MPS and staff. The MPS now has more officers than at any time in its history, but I continue to lead calls for the MPS to be properly funded so that it can have the resources it needs to serve our city. To keep Londoners safe, it is vital that officers understand and have the trust of the communities they are policing. Through my Action Plan on Trust and Confidence I am providing support to the community and funding for community training so that officers can better understand their communities. I have supported and helped fund the provision of vital technologies such as body-worn video to help keep officers safe and I have backed calls for increased sentences for those who assault emergency workers.
As Police and Crime Commissioner it is also my job to hold the MPS to account. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary [and Fire & Rescue Services] (HMICFRS) and the Home Office each have a role to play in providing legitimate police accountability. There are also different ways for Londoners themselves to become directly involved. Safer Neighbourhood Boards, community monitoring groups and independent custody visitor schemes all offer a constructive opportunity to hold policing to account, question local officer activity and improve community links.
I will continue to speak out in support of our officers’ welfare and for the importance of officers being able to carry out their vital work unhindered. Ultimately, I want the police to build trust and confidence with Londoners so that we can continue to see policing by consent.

Susan Hall: Good gracious, MrMayor. I agree with virtually all of that but, to clarify, do you think it is right - yes or no, and you have more or less given the answer - that if you do not agree with what the police are doing, you should be able to stop them? Do you think that people should be able to stop officers if they do not agree?

Sadiq Khan: No. The reason why we agree is because we understand the importance of policing in a civilised society. They have to be able to do their job and what we cannot have is vigilantism. If people have concerns around policing, there are routes now that we can trust in relation to raising those concerns and so I would encourage people. Listen. Sometimes tempers go high. Sometimes people see one side of the story. Sometimes, by the way, there may be legitimate concern. However, by getting involved in policing issues, you are risking your personal safety, but you have no idea what is going on. I would encourage Londoners who have issues to go through the proper channels to raise those issues.

Susan Hall: My goodness. Unity is breaking out here. I cannot think that it will last long but it is at the moment.
The thing that vexes Londoners and certainly irritates me is, if you look at the Platinum Jubilee when those animal rights protesters ran into The Mall, our wonderful police officers grabbed them and yanked them out of the way - quite professionally, I am sure - and so proceedings carried on. Yet when you had the situation on 10June when protesters gathered to stop a man being arrested for immigration offences, the police walked away from that. It cannot be right that the police walk away from dealing with an issue.

Sadiq Khan: I have not been briefed on the latter issue. I have on the former issue. I have been briefed on what happened on the Platinum Jubilee when, by the way, the police were applauded‑‑

Susan Hall: Absolutely. No, we are in agreement again. Yes, I know.

Sadiq Khan: I have not been briefed on the latter and so I do not want‑‑

Susan Hall: It was all over the papers. The immigration officers went in to arrest somebody. A mob appeared, as it happens when people disagree with what is happening. The local police were called, and they had the gentleman in the back of the van and had to let him go because the mob was beginning to rule. We have to do something to stop mob rule because, if people think that they can get away with just surrounding police officers who have arrested somebody and therefore get that person released again, that is not acceptable. If people start to realise they can do it, it is like these wretched protesters that go and sit and cause London to be in complete lockdown when they all decide to sit in the middle of the roads. I do not approve of that, either. The police have to be able to keep law and order and we are beginning to see signs of mob rule as in this situation.
What can you do? Can you just assure the police you will support them if they go in on situations like this? They have to feel supported by the Mayor.

Sadiq Khan: Sure. I do not know. What I do know is, look, the police are damned if they do and damned if they don’t because the police cannot allow their personal politics to come into policing.

Susan Hall: Absolutely.

Sadiq Khan: When they receive a call, they have to respond.

Susan Hall: I agree.

Sadiq Khan: They have to use their discretion that the law allows them to decide when to go in, when to withdraw and so forth. Our public order police are some of the best trained in the world and they often rely upon intelligence from choppers, from closed-circuit television (CCTV) on the ground and so forth. Our commanders are some of the most experienced there are. We as citizens who are not police officers have to realise that the police get criticised both ways. If they do not respond, they are criticised for not responding. If they do respond, they are criticised by those who have different views.
The key thing is to make sure that there is accountability for the police and there is. As I explained in my answer, there are the checks and balances.

Susan Hall: I am glad that you have said that you do support that they keep law and order because I am concerned that mob rule will start. Thank you, Chairman.

Onkar Sahota: Thank you, AssemblyMemberHall. The next question is in the name‑‑

Marina Ahmad: Chair, sorry, I had my hand raised just to raise an issue with that. To assist AssemblyMemberHall, the incident that she is referring to is what happened in Peckham in my constituency. Just to be very clear, the gentleman was not let go. He was released on conditional bail.

Onkar Sahota: AssemblyMemberAhmad, this was not a question and this is MQT and so that intervention was not important. I am sure it is useful information, but it was not important at that stage.

Outer London Transport

Nick Rogers: What outer London transport projects do you plan to support over the next twelve months?

Sadiq Khan: Thank you, Chair. Outer London has historically been more dependent on car travel, but we know that walking, cycling and public transport are safer, cleaner, cheaper and more efficient alternatives. A key objective of my Transport Strategy is to make it easier for those travelling in outer London to shift towards these options.
TfL’s 2019 business plan set out ambitious proposals for further investment to support walking, cycling and public transport in outer London, but because of the impact of the pandemic on TfL’s finances and the absence of any certainty about future Government funding, TfL has had no choice but to cut back those plans. Crossrail2, the Bakerloo line extension and step-free access schemes are among the outer London transport projects it has had to scale back.
Even in these challenging circumstances, though, I will give you some of the positive examples TfL is able to do. TfL will continue to do all it can to progress major schemes over the next 12 months including the Barking Riverside Overground extension, which will connect the largest housing development in east London to the Gospel Oak to Barking line from this summer, and the next phase in the opening of the Elizabeth line, meaning passengers will be able to travel between Shenfield in the east and Heathrow or Reading in the west without changing. New trains on the Piccadilly line and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) will also provide a huge boost for outer London. In southwest London, subject to a long-term capital funding agreement with the Government, TfL will deliver improvements in East Sheen town centre and around East Sheen Primary School. TfL will also make London Road roundabout in Twickenham safer with new push-button green-person crossings on all arms of the roundabout.
TfL continues to support outer London boroughs in the delivery of the cycle network, including Kew Road and Strawberry Vale in Richmond, and the TfL delivery of Cycleway9 in Hounslow. In the next 12 months, TfL will start construction on significant bus, walking and cycling improvements at Tolworth roundabout in Kingston to support the delivery of new homes and jobs. Around half of bus journeys start in outer London and TfL has invested to help get buses ahead of general traffic. Last year TfL completed 541 signal timing reviews, contributing to bus journey time savings of over 8,500 passenger hours per day and this year TfL has completed 160 signal timing reviews with a further 700 planned by the end of March2023.
It is now in everyone’s interests for the Government to provide a fair, long-term capital funding deal for TfL, enabling the future improvements we all want to see in outer London and across our city.

Nick Rogers: Thank you, MrMayor. I appreciate the local examples from my constituency. On page 98 of your manifesto, you promised to deliver a strategy for the suburbs designed to increase connectivity in outer London. What progress have you made on that strategy?

Sadiq Khan: No, that has been paused because, without a long-term funding deal, we simply cannot action any strategy in relation to what we want to do. Once we know what the long-term capital funding deal is from the Government, we can then work out a strategy flowing from that. We would rather do it the other way around, but we cannot because the lack of a capital funding deal inhibits what we can do.

Nick Rogers: How much work had you done on the strategy prior to pausing it?

Sadiq Khan: I know what I am doing in outer London and the strategy is to improve and increase public transport in outer London, but we simply cannot follow that through. We know what we want to do. The issue is making sure we can deliver it and that is why we are going to have to retrofit our strategy based upon the funding we have rather than having the strategy and then funding following that.

Nick Rogers: You know what you want to do, and you know the approach you are going to take. Were you, when you were working on that strategy, approaching outer London as a single unified area as a series of regions or were you going more local?

Sadiq Khan: Good question. One of the things that we noticed - because the last election happened during the pandemic - was people’s travel patterns have changed and that is why you are seeing buses busier in outer London, not coming to the centre but often going from town centre to town centre. You will have seen in your patch as well examples of buses changing their routes by going to hospitals and town centres rather than town centres in outer London to inner London. A lot of those travel patterns are changing.
You will also have seen the bustling town centres in outer London versus the Central Activities Zone (CAZ). While that work was done in relation to our analysis, you will also have seen some of the new cycling routes that are starting to be constructed in outer London. If we were speaking ten years ago, they would be from outer London to the centre. They are now going around outer London. Somebody in Richmond may shop in Kingston or somebody in Twickenham may shop in Putney rather than coming into the centre. Those patterns are now emerging.
The great thing about buses is you can move quite quickly rather than Tubes or trams. The flexibility is in the buses. Again, going back to the first issue I raised, it is contingent upon the capital funding deal and stuff. With cycling, again, you can do temporary cycle routes, which do not cost a lot. There are things we can do that are not expensive, which I am still hopeful of doing in the next few years.

Nick Rogers: Thank you. I am out of time. Thank you, MrMayor.

Chancellor’s support for Londoners

Marina Ahmad: Does the Chancellor’s support package announced on 26 May 2022 provide enough support for the almost half of Londoners struggling to make ends meet?

Sadiq Khan: Thank you, Chair. I am very concerned about the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, and I have repeatedly called on the Government to take action to protect the most disadvantaged Londoners. The recently announced package of support will offer some much-needed relief to hard-pressed Londoners, but not only has it been too long coming, it also fails to meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable households and leaves several damaging policies in place.
I remain particularly concerned about low-income families with children who have received no extra help with the additional costs they face running a family home. London has long had the nation’s highest child poverty rates and demand from households with children for emergency support like foodbanks has been on the rise during recent years of Government austerity. Many of these families, particularly those with more than two children, are already facing their incomes reduced by the benefit cap or the two-child limit, the latter of which affects around 200,000 children in London. I welcome the fact that the Government’s support package rightly made extra support available to households with older and disabled members, but it was disappointing it did not extend the same support to these families. We should also not forget that families with no recourse to public funds continue to be denied many forms of financial help and will miss out on a great deal of the additional support in the Chancellor’s package.
Here in London, I have taken steps to support Londoners struggling to make ends meet. I have launched the
Cost of Living Hub to help Londoners understand and access the support that is available and I have allocated a further £3.7million this year for measures that will help hard-pressed families maximise their incomes, deal with debt or reduce their energy bills.
Londoners and low-income households across the country desperately need more help from the Government. As a matter of urgency, Ministers must freeze private rents for the next two years, abolish the benefit cap, two-child limit and no recourse to public funds conditions and expand eligibility for free school meals to all primary-age school children.

Marina Ahmad: Thank you. MrMayor, you know as well as I do that the cost-of-living crisis has been building for a number of years and that those who are most vulnerable had no resilience when energy bills went up by 54% in April. Added to that a massive increase in inflation now predicted to reach 11% by the end of the year has sent food prices through the roof and out of the reach of many Londoners.
MrMayor, the first means-tested payment from the Chancellor will be made on 14July [2022]. What impact is this delay having on Londoners?

Sadiq Khan: There is a massive impact because many Londoners have cashflow issues. They have no money to make ends meet. My concern is many of these families may well be going to loan sharks and other moneylenders to make sure they can make ends meet. In the meantime, we know pensioners and others across London, families, have been making tough choices. We know parents - and they have given their testimony - have been missing meals themselves to make sure their children can eat. The problem is we also know many children whose parents receive benefits and the benefits do not make ends meet. That is why the support from the Government ‑‑ of course I welcome any support from the Government that helps the most vulnerable in our society. The delay is going to cause additional challenges. If there is a possibility to accelerate the money received in those families’ pockets and purses sooner rather than later, that is what I am sure both of us would welcome.

Marina Ahmad: Yes, MrMayor. Thank you. In my constituency of Lambeth and Southwark, if people could hear what some of my constituents are telling me, asking me questions like, “How long can I not eat so that my children can eat? My child has not had a proper meal for three days. Do I heat my home this winter or do I eat?” If people in this Chamber could actually hear what people are telling me, they would be extremely upset and would want to be lobbying the Government in the way that I know you have for further help for those most vulnerable of people. I will leave it there, MrMayor. Thank you very much.

Onkar Sahota: Thank you. The next question is in my name and so I am going to hand over to the Deputy Chair.

Supporting Small Business Owners

Keith Prince: Are you doing enough to support small business owners across London?

Sadiq Khan: As small businesses continue to face challenges as we recover from the effects of the pandemic, with fewer tourists and commuters in our city, Brexit has made it harder to import and export, impacted supply chains and contributed to labour shortages and now we are in the midst of a cost of living crisis. The Government could and should do much more to mitigate the effects of these challenges. The roadmap to recovery, drawn up by my [London] Covid Business Forum, has set out many ways the Government could help right now, including cutting value-added tax (VAT) and extending business rate relief. My Let’s Do London campaign was a big success, attracting 280,000 Londoners and visitors to the city last year as restrictions lifted, spending an extra £70million to benefit our hospitality, retail and leisure businesses. The new £10million international tourist campaign I launched in New York this year aims to attract visitors from around the world to London.
The scale of business support programmes we manage at City Hall is not large enough to mitigate all the worst effects of these challenges for every London business, but there is a lot we can do to help through the business-led London Economic Action Partnership [LEAP] and European programmes. For example, during the height of the pandemic we awarded £1.5million in COVID recovery grants to help small businesses trade through the pandemic. We created the Pay It Forward campaign, which helped over 470 small businesses and raised over £1.7million through crowd funding and we deployed £5.1million in loans from the Government Coronavirus [Business Interruption] Loan guarantee [Scheme (CBILS)] through my London Co-Investment Fund. My London Business Hub is a one-stop-shop for small and medium enterprises (SME) to access impartial resources, guidance and programmes and it continued throughout the pandemic, with face-to-face events now starting again across London. Our Wayfinder Programme in Lambeth, Wandsworth and Southwark is successfully piloting the one single door to business support commitment in my manifesto. I would hope to expand this further across London in partnership with boroughs in the coming months.
Finally, unfortunately the hundreds of millions of pounds of European annual funding that I use to help small businesses is coming to an end. The Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) that was supposed to replace all this is much smaller. However, I will be prioritising support for business in the plan we will submit to Government next month on the UKSPF in London.

Keith Prince: Thank you, MrMayor. Actually, I was not going to say this, but thanks for meeting with the relocation guys again. They represent a lot of small businesses and, as I have mentioned to you, they would like to at least meet again with your Deputy to take matters further. It was a very positive meeting, from what I have heard from both sides, so if you would be able to facilitate that in some way I would be very grateful.

Sadiq Khan: Thank you, Chair. I am really happy to. The Member raised this with me in the adjournment and I am more than happy to take this forward.

Tower Hamlets Elections

Tony Devenish: Have you, in light of concerns raised in the report by Democracy Volunteers, sought assurances from the Met Police and Electoral Commission that the Mayoral and Borough Elections on 5th May were conducted fairly in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets?

Sadiq Khan: Thank you for your question. I am proud to be Mayor of London, a free and fair city where every citizen can have their voice heard, enshrined in our right to vote. Anyone attempting to interfere with our democratic rights, be that by stealing someone else’s vote or inappropriately influencing how another person votes, is committing an offence and must be held accountable. I understand that in the recent elections, Tower Hamlets ensured privacy screens were placed between polling booths. They also ensured that their voting staff were well trained on how to identify and prevent family or community voting. My officers have been in contact with the Electoral Commission, who have worked closely with the Returning Officer at Tower Hamlets to provide support in the planning and running of the polls in the lead-up to and on election day.
On polling day, the Electoral Commission carried out visits to polling stations across the Borough where they found well-run voting processes. The MPS supported staff with a police presence that aimed to protect the process and reassure voters and anyone with concerns about intimidation or fraud was able to raise them with police officers in or around polling stations throughout the day. There were a very small number of instances where more than one voter attempted to use the same polling booth at the same time, and these were quickly dealt with by well-trained polling station staff.
The Electoral Commission is currently gathering evidence on how the elections were run this year, both in Tower Hamlets and across the UK, including data on the experience of voters, candidates and campaigners as part of post-poll reporting. I am clear that ensuring that all Londoners’ voices are heard so everyone can participate in our democracy fairly is a basic right. As we see more and more worrying threats to democracy across the globe, it is even more important that we do what we can to uphold the integrity of our democratic processes. This is a vital part of ensuring that the public continues to have full confidence in both the elections and those who are elected.

Tony Devenish: Thank you, MrMayor, and good afternoon. You did not sound that concerned that there was a serious issue here. Without prejudging what will perhaps go on for quite a long time, are you concerned?

Sadiq Khan: I am concerned whenever there are allegations made of impropriety. I am waiting to see what the Electoral Commission says. I read, when I saw your question, the report from Democracy Volunteers that you mentioned and actually one of the things that did not concern me was the progress made by the staff over the last period. I was very concerned about the elections in 2014. It appears that a lot of work was done by the Council post that to make sure that some of those concerns did not happen. We will have a better idea when the Electoral Commission reports in relation to what it is doing, but clearly whenever any concerns are raised, it should concern all of us.

Tony Devenish: Thank you. Will you be supporting LordRobertHayward’s[OBE] Private Member’s [Ballot Secrecy] Bill to try to ensure that family voting does not occur?

Sadiq Khan: Yes, there are some issues he has to iron out in relation to those who are visually impaired or where there are literacy issues, but they can be resolved during the passage of the Bill. He is somebody that has huge experience and, party politics aside, he tends to win more than lose. He has huge experience in elections, but the genesis of his Bill appears to be making sure the concerns that appear to have happened in Tower Hamlets do not happen. I am sure he can work out some of the concerns people have expressed around visual impairment, around literacy and stuff because there are going to be examples where that does not happen. During the passage of Bills, my experience is those things get resolved and I am sure he will be listening to some of the concerns raised during the passage.

Tony Devenish: In due course, will you personally speak to the Acting Commissioner [of Police of the Metropolis] or the new Commissioner about this once we know all the facts?

Sadiq Khan: You have to be very careful when a politician has skin in the game - because my party lost - and appears to or does influence the Commissioner in relation to operational matters. I know the Acting Commissioner takes these things very seriously and I am sure he and his team will look at what the Electoral Commission says. You will appreciate that if I did speak to him and they did investigate, you could imagine the concerns and so it is probably proper if I do not.

Tony Devenish: I will leave it at that, Chair.

Violent Crime

Len Duvall: What action are you taking to tackle violent crime this summer?

Sadiq Khan: I did deal with this briefly in my opening statement, but I am really grateful for the chance to respond properly to this important issue. Tackling violence and making our city safer is my number one priority. In London, we have been tackling violent crime head-on by being both tough on crime and tough on the complex causes of crime and this has resulted in violence falling since before the pandemic, but I am clear that there is still much more to do. I stand fully behind the MPS in its work to bear down on violence, remove dangerous weapons and tackle drugs and gangs, as well as its work supporting communities through neighbourhood policing. Through the MPS’ Operation Summer Nights, planned police activity focuses on violence against women and girls (VAWG), reducing violence affecting young people and targeting reductions in robbery.
I am determined to build on the progress we have made to reduce and prevent crime but, as I warned last week, the cost of living crisis risks taking us backwards. I am doing everything I can to support Londoners, but it is important that the Government steps up with much bolder action. My Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) is leading a partnership approach to tackling violence that is rooted in prevention and early intervention. This includes investing in positive opportunities for 100,000 young Londoners. Our interventions take place all year round to support young people from some of London’s most disadvantaged communities. This summer, the VRU’s investment is focused on providing positive opportunities outside of school and at weekends. The Stronger Futures Programme has engaged with nearly 2,500 children and almost 800 of those have reported improved mental health and wellbeing, with 380 feeling safer and more engaged in their local community. My [2.8Million] Minds programme is delivering community-led activities in eight neighbourhoods across London, sitting alongside a comprehensive London-wide sports programme in the lead-up to and during the summer. We are also providing £1million investment in developing support networks for parents and carers to help them better nurture and protect young people and support for children at the critical transitional period as they prepare to move from primary to secondary school.

Len Duvall: Thank you, MrMayor, for the way that you have answered the questions. You mentioned briefly about the work on the VAWG Strategy. Can you outline any other pre-emptive work in terms of where the police are bearing down? We do not hear much of the work of the Violent Crime Taskforce now, but I presume it still exists. Is that part of the summer plan in bearing down and driving down those crime figures?

Sadiq Khan: Absolutely. Prevention and early intervention are crucial, as is enforcement and there is a misnomer that a public health approach is somehow soft when it comes to enforcement. It really is not. The Violent Crime Taskforce with neighbourhood teams and with others really do bear down on those carrying the knife, those involved in criminal activity, making sure communities feel safe, with high visibility policing you supported, and you campaigned for, in fact. The town centre teams are doing a really good job. Enforcement is very important, as is prevention and early intervention, giving young people constructive things to do but also young people seeing the police in a positive light and the police seeing young people in a positive light. Nobody should be prejudging others and it is really important we get that tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime right.

Len Duvall: The checks and balances that exist in terms of stop and search now should actually allay some of the trust and confidence issues within the community. Are we doing enough in terms of communicating with geographical areas about where we are doing evidence-led activity, in bearing down and trying to protect our citizens, usually our younger citizens, in terms of facing crime?

Sadiq Khan: The point you raise is so important and I will tell you why. If we do not do the engaging, which we are doing, when the police go into an area of high criminal activity they give the impression to that community, many of whom are law-abiding, of them being over-policed and being picked on. That is why the police now work incredibly hard with councils, council leaders, councillors, Members of Parliament and community leaders in advance of, during and after an operation so they know what is going on. It is really important to have that dialogue and that explanation, rather than people feeling as if policing is being done to them, working with the police and you have seen really good results around the city. I was recently speaking to one of the youth leaders in Croydon, who was speaking positively about police engagement with community leaders and engagement with youth workers, engaging with young people. At the same time, they are welcoming that they are taking knives off the streets and arresting those carrying weapons and also welcoming intelligence-led stop and search. That would have been unheard of two years ago.

Len Duvall: Moving on from that, can we see more communication of where we would be saying, “Look, it’s evidence-based. We are looking into it”. Do we really have it right when we see some of the social media that goes up, the 40-second clip of an encounter with the police that looks pretty horrible to be honest? They are sometimes horrible when they get out of hand and people reach the wrong conclusion. There was one a number of years ago around Islington where an officer was grappling with someone who had been involved in a knife crime and still had the knife on them, but of course we had a number of crowded people rushing round saying, “Oh, go easy on him. Go easy on him”. The officer was one lone officer, trying to work out where the knife was, and he knew that he had the knife on him. That officer was suspended because his knee briefly touched his neck, and it was in the video. That was the only bit published. None of the bystanders knew the circumstances, what was going on. Of course, the checks and balances resolved that issue, and that officer was reinstated in work, but there are those critical encounters where people make the rush judgements. I do not blame them. People do and it is a fact of life; you see something. Could we be doing more to explain about some of that? I am confident that where the police are behaving wrongly, they would be brought to account in that sense because of the checks and balances and because of the reviews that are in place. Are we telling the public enough about that? Are we really telling the public enough?

Sadiq Khan: I can understand the issues you are raising completely. I often receive operational briefings that I cannot divulge to the public for obvious reasons, but also you can understand why the police are a bit reluctant to give a running commentary. Why? As there may well be an IOPC investigation. Why? As there may well be a criminal case arising from the interaction because the civilian is arrested or charged or there may even be a criminal prosecution against an officer. You can understand why the MPS does not want to explain more than it has, but you are right to articulate the frustration. Often, it can take months or years before the IOPC or the Directorate of Professional Standards or whatever gives a conclusion and in that time the public is seeing just one version of events, albeit a clip. I get your frustration. The police are always trying to find better ways of communicating with the public.
What I am happy to do, Chair, with your permission, is to take away the point raised in the very responsible way it has been relayed by AssemblyMember LenDuvall to see whether the Acting Commissioner [of Police of the Metropolis] and the Acting Deputy Commissioner can think about being more brave. I think that is what you are asking for, being more brave in explaining as near as possible to the incident the other side of the story, rather than this delay leading to people prejudging and leading to less trust and confidence. Can I take that away and see what more they can do? I think it is an operational response, rather than coming from me for obvious reasons.

Len Duvall: Yes. Look, I understand that. What we want to avoid is mixed messages or police officers feeling that they should hold backwhen there is a threat to the public.

Sadiq Khan: Yes, I get that.

Len Duvall: We need to be very clear that in terms of those judgement calls they are able to act and when they get it wrong, we hold them to account.

Sadiq Khan: Yes.

Len Duvall: When they get it right, we should praise. MrMayor, I want to congratulate you. In May, you announced a further £3million for the funding of a very important programme and it is one that we have to monitor over the years, the ENGAGE programme. This is targeting offenders, those that are in prison and all the rest of it. You have just given that, and you have some initial figures. Can you just tell us a little bit more of your thinking around that programme because that is going to the heart of the matter. That is the public health approach to dealing with the most difficult, repeat offenders, people that have committed very serious crimes that you are working with to turn their lives around and make different choices.

Sadiq Khan: Yes. Look, one of the things we have got to accept, and it is not a party-political point - it happened when Labour was in Government as well - is there is a revolving door when it comes to the police catching a bad guy. They are charged, prosecuted, found guilty, doing time or receiving a sentence, coming back out and that same person does it again. Can we intervene? Prisons often do not have the time, effort, energy and resources to rehabilitate the way they should, and I believe that you should both punish and reform. What we are trying to do is tackle the behaviour of that perpetrator to stop them reoffending, which means fewer victims and it means less cost to the taxpayer, less anxiety and distress for the victims, and so forth. We have to make progress there because otherwise the reoffending rates range between 50% to 66% within the first year of being released. That does not make sense to me, and it is particularly frustrating to communities, to the police and so forth. We are making progress and it looks like it is good, but on the flip side we are criticised for investing in offenders. You are right to praise it. It is a brave policy, it is the right policy and the more we can reduce reoffending, the fewer victims of crime.

Len Duvall: Thank you.

Cost of Living

Sem Moema: Has the GLA made any initial assessment of how the Cost-of-Living Crisis is going to impact on Londoners’ housing situation?

Sadiq Khan: Only 14% of Londoners now describe themselves as comfortable financially and 28% describe themselves as just about managing. For many Londoners housing costs are the biggest strain on household budgets and people are understandably worrying about whether rising costs elsewhere will leave them with enough money to pay their rent or mortgage. Average asking rents in London have hit a new record of £2,193 per month, a 14% rise from last year, the biggest jump in any region since records began. Combined with soaring energy prices and rapid inflation in the cost of everyday essentials, this means many people are struggling to make ends meet. In a GLA poll last month, 53% of private renters said they had fallen behind with or struggled to pay their housing costs at some point in the last six months. Without Government intervention, sadly, these figures are likely to get worse. There is action that can be taken. Now is the time for the Government to heed my call to introduce a two-year rent freeze in London. Last month I wrote to the Prime Minister to reiterate the need for this emergency measure, which would save the average renter £3,000 a year.
The Government has also increased the help available to private renters via the benefits system, including by scrapping the benefit cap, a measure that bites hardest in London. I welcome the fact that the Government’s long-awaited White Paper on tenancy reform, A Fairer Private Rented Sector, includes much of my London model of tenancy reform, including the commitment to end no fault evictions, but it still provides no action on the spiralling cost of rents. The squeeze on household budgets underscores the ever-present need to deliver new affordable homes and especially homes for social rent. We will only deliver these homes if we work together. I remain committed to working with all partners to meet our targets to build homes, but the simple fact is the Government must provide the additional funding to deliver the genuinely affordable homes Londoners desperately need.

Sem Moema: Thank you, MayorKhan. Yesterday AssemblyMemberAhmad and I had the pleasure of meeting Z2K, an anti-poverty charity that supports thousands of Londoners whose primary cause of poverty is their housing costs. I wonder within the context of that - you have mentioned the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates - over the next few months, as the cost of living increases, whether that is something that we could definitely take a look at and seek to continue to lobby the Government, both the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) - I know you have had lots of success with [the Rt Hon] MichaelGove [MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government], who has been supportive around many measures - to make sure that rents are covered by the LHA rates here in London. It is a problem not just for people in the social housing sector but a really acute problem in the private rented sector where people are having to leave the city altogether.

Sadiq Khan: Yes. These are people working whose wages are topped up by Housing Benefit. You are right because the changes made by the Government meant that the LHA rates, which are supposed to be set at median market rents, were reduced to the 30th percentile of market rents. It is a big problem. The problem is the gap between what they receive from benefits and the rent charged by their landlord. As I have said in answer to the question, it is going up on average by 14% and so it is a big problem. It is leading to the brain drain that I talked about from London with people choosing to leave London, an issue raised by the Chair in relation to the London weighting.
The Government has to recognise that whatever their views may be ideologically about rent controls, in the short term they can do a very simple thing, which is to freeze rents for two years. During the pandemic they suspended evictions and so they know they could very easily freeze rents. That would just stabilise things while we could talk to the Government about the importance of having LHA at the median rates at the very least rather than there being a gap, which the Government accepts, between the LHA rate and the rents charged in London.

Sem Moema: OK. Thank you. One of the outcomes of the pandemic is that a cohort of people lost their jobs through no fault of their own, people who had not previously experienced the benefits system. We are looking in London at an increase of about a third in homelessness by 2024 - statutory homelessness - and there is a direct relationship there between the amount of social housing that we can build and the number of people on housing waiting lists across the capital in both inner and outer London.
I wonder. AssemblyMemberBoff did talk in your exchange about the amount of money that you have received from the Government, but I know that in order to meet the need in London we need about seven times more than that, much more by all order of magnitude, in order to meet that need. I just wonder if you could talk through how we might be able to continue to provide that housing for those people who are still living in a home but are statutorily homeless and how we might begin to address that as an Assembly.

Sadiq Khan: The London Plan, based upon an assessment they have made, says that we need, roughly speaking, 55,000 new homes a year. In 2019/20 we broke the record for the most completions, 40,000, and so in a record-breaking year there was still a 15,000 shortage per year of new starts. If you amplify that by four years, six years or ten years, you see the gap gets bigger and bigger. I appreciate in the medium to long term we cannot have supply meeting demand, which is why in the short term we have to make sure that the price does not go up so much in the private rental market that it means private rental housing is out of reach of those Londoners we need: the nurses, the bus drivers, the teachers and so forth. That is why the Government could in the very short term - it does not cost it anything - give us the powers to freeze rents for two years. That will allow us to stabilise that market and we can do work in relation to the long-term ambition of having rent control, but the reality is we have got to be building many, many more homes and we have to diversify the housing supply. Private developers are not going to flood the market with more housing. Why? As it reduces the cost of housing so it does not make economic sense. By having more council housing, more housing associations, more co-operatives and more small sites and TfL land, we diversify the market. That is a conclusion [Sir] OliverLetwin[former MP] reached when asked by PhilipHammond[former MP] to do this piece of work and that is why you are right. The experts say we need seven times the amount of funding we receive to meet the needs of our city.

Sem Moema: Thank you. For me, economically as well as irrespective of your personal beliefs or ideology, it is a no-brainer in terms of being able to make sure that we can catch up with ourselves to provide for all Londoners.
My final question is around those people that are affected by the interest rate rises across the capital. With the retail price index (RPI) and rates increasing, I am concerned, as are many others, about those Londoners that are at risk of losing their homes. Again, those are people who were able to take out those mortgages, but now with the cost of living increase they simply do not have enough money, or they are struggling to keep up with those repayments. That takes us into about a quarter of Londoners who are in the process of remortgaging or moving on to a variable rate at the moment, which is really dangerous for them. I wonder how we might be able to support them or what your views are on how they are impacted by the cost of living and increases.

Sadiq Khan: Thank you for your question, which is a really important question. A number of Londoners have managed to fulfil their aspiration of being a homeowner with the help of a mortgage, but often they make their calculation based upon a fixed rate and they manage to just about get enough money come in, going out to pay their mortgage and other household expenses. The problem is two things. One is that for those on fixed rates, that fixed rate is often for a period of time and then it goes to a variable or a different fixed rate, and some are on variable mortgages. The Bank of England announced last week an increase in interest rates, which means if you are on a variable mortgage or if you are changing your rate, there is an increase in the amount of mortgage you pay, whether it is a repayment mortgage or an interest-only mortgage rolling. There is a big concern that I know many Londoners have. You will remember that in previous recessions when interest rates went up, many people had to give back their homes or they were repossessed because they could not afford to pay their mortgage because variable interest rates went up so much and the base rate was so high.
One of the tools open to the Bank of England to address inflation is increasing interest rates. It has to be cognisant that one of the consequences of that is not just people’s inability to borrow, but those on variable rates will have to pay more in payments to their mortgage companies. By the way, these are not really, really wealthy people. These are often people who have just managed to get a mortgage, they fulfil their dream, and they are struggling. That is why questions that are raised in relation to waking watches and other things are so important. For leaseholders, because they often have a mortgage, a service charge, ground rent and other things, it can lead to them going over the edge. That is why it is really important for the Government to be aware of the consequences of the cost of living crisis, inflation and so forth.

Sem Moema: Thank you.

Tube Noise

Anne Clarke: Please provide an update on the latest actions TfL is taking to tackle the problem of tube noise on London Underground lines?

Sadiq Khan: Thank you, Chair. I note that Tube noise remains a concern for many Londoners. I do take this matter very seriously and it remains a priority for TfL who continue to monitor noise levels closely. It will put in place practical interventions wherever possible, but until a sustainable funding settlement for TfL is provided by the Government, TfL’s ability to carry out the long-term and expensive interventions needed to tackle Tube noise is limited. Despite the financial challenges, TfL continues to invest in London Underground’s track renewal and maintenance as far as it can. Rail grinding is currently TfL’s principal means of addressing Tube noise and it has undertaken a significant amount of noise and vibration-related rail grinding in the last six months on over 17,500 metres of rail. TfL also continues to carry out other targeted interventions to reduce noise, including removing redundant rail joints, maintaining points and crossings and re-ballasting track where appropriate to the location. TfL continues to investigate alternative solutions. It trialled the replacement of Pandrol Vanguard track fastenings, which may worsen in-carriage noise, with alternative Delkor track fastenings between Baker Street and St John’s Wood on the Jubilee line. Initial results indicate that the Delkor track fastening will offer a similar benefit in terms of limiting residential noise levels while reducing in-carriage noise in comparison to Pandrol Vanguard fastenings. Subject to funding, TfL is now looking to roll this out further across the network.

Anne Clarke: Thank you so much, MrMayor. You are absolutely right. I hear from lots and lots of residents and Tube noise can just have a hugely damaging impact on the lives of residents who experience these high levels every day. In terms of the Delkor trials, because they do seem promising, it is really difficult obviously with the funding situation and it seems that we cannot plan from one day to the next. Do you have any ideas though if we did have the ability to plan just a little bit, where you might be rolling that out?

Sadiq Khan: Chair, the next planned site for installing Delkor is Camden Town to Euston. I am not sure who the Member is for that area, but I am sure she will be pleased to know that work will start this summer on the northbound and southbound tracks, and I am sure she will be welcoming that.

Anne Clarke: Thank you very much, MrMayor. I do not have any further questions, thank you.

Sadiq Khan: I bet you do not.

Onkar Sahota: Great. At least one AssemblyMember is happy.

Community Risk Management Plan

Anne Clarke: How has the Grenfell fire informed the LFB’s new Community Risk Management Plan?

Sadiq Khan: Thank you, Chair, and can I just comment before I answer? The Member has been assiduous in raising issues around fire safety since she first became elected as a Member of the Assembly, and I am really grateful for her assiduousness and also the challenge that she gives as well. This question carries particular importance, coming the week after the fifth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and my thoughts remain with those who lost loved ones, the survivors and the wider Grenfell community. The Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) is the LFB’s first overarching plan for London since that fire took place. It is crucial that it reflects the learnings from the fire and ensures the LFB is best prepared to serve all its communities, especially the Grenfell community and those that live in high-rise blocks.
The Plan is underpinned by the lessons learnt from the Grenfell tragedy and it leads directly on from the transformation of the Brigade that has been undergone following the recommendations made in Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. The LFB has now completed 26 of the 29 recommendations that were aimed specifically at them or at emergency services more widely and this includes significant changes to policies, procedures and equipment that support their ability to tackle fires in high-rise buildings. The Brigade is now better prepared to respond to fires in high-rise buildings and keep Londoners living in these buildings safe.
While this is important progress, there is still more work to do. The LFB’s ambition is to be a service that is working at the heart of its communities to help keep Londoners safe and the new Plan sets out how it plans to achieve this over the coming years. The Brigade has taken a completely new approach to community engagement in the development of the CRMP and the commitments and actions set out are a direct response to the feedback of London’s communities as well as LFB staff. The document expresses how the organisation will become the service that Londoners need and expect. The draft Plan is out for consultation until the end of July[2022] and I would encourage Members of the Assembly and your constituents to respond accordingly.

Anne Clarke: OK, thank you. Just going back to your point about feedback, it is really important, and I agree that we all need to be encouraging as many Londoners as we can to engage with the consultation. I am just wondering what more you think we can do. I have been encouraging residents I come across and residents’ groups, but it is really important that the Fire Brigade gets this right and I know how much they want Londoners to engage in it. It is more than just about their own staff and strategy. It is about how they view buildings and how Londoners interact with fire stations and making them clear community assets. I am just wondering what more we can do from City Hall to really get that message across that Londoners’ views are being sought and the Fire Brigade really does want to engage with them.

Sadiq Khan: Yes, can I say, you will know this because you meet with him regularly, but the [London] Fire Commissioner is really keen about involving Londoners in the development of the Plan. In fact, unlike previous plans, he has involved Londoners and LFB staff during the writing of the Plan. You will be aware of the various phases of consultation, both public - with hundreds of responses - and the various engagement meetings they held and the virtual meetings they held. The point the Commissioner would get across if he was here is he wants Londoners to feel it is their Fire Service and so he is concerned, as indeed I am, that too many communities around our city do not feel as if it is their Fire Service. He wants an open door policy, welcoming Londoners in, which would help in recruitment but also in relation to when the Fire Service gives advice, having confidence in the advice they give. It is in the context of many concerns raised by the Grenfell community about the lack of confidence in the Fire Service and he is seeking to address that and so I would encourage Members of Assembly, many of you have contacts into your communities, to encourage them to respond. It is quite a user-friendly document, unlike previous plans, and if I can understand it, anybody can. Get involved. He is not expecting detailed responses. They can let you have their responses, and you can respond, but the more people that get involved, the more people will be aware of all the good the Fire Service does, focusing on prevention as well but sometimes having to put out really difficult fires. The LFB is recruiting a diverse set of team members, and this is a good way of getting people socialised in what the LFB does.

Anne Clarke: Yes, thanks for that. I know from meeting with the [London Fire] Commissioner on many occasions how keen he is to have the Fire Brigade look more like Londoners, just like many of us on the Assembly look like Londoners, and it is really important.
I am just wondering. Obviously, we are five years on from Grenfell, but there are still thousands of Londoners living in unsafe buildings, as we have been reminded in recent weeks. The cost of this to the LFB and the risk to Londoners and firefighters is significant and we know that some buildings have been remediated or are in the process of being remediated, but very many remain unsafe. Getting back to the CRMP, how can it reflect and adapt to a changing situation with our built environment?

Sadiq Khan: That is a really important question because you are right; there are a number of other things happening, which is why the Plan cannot be seen in isolation. There are plans from the Government with legislation and we are waiting for secondary legislation. There is the Grenfell Tower Inquiry that may make further recommendations. There is the Manchester Arena Inquiry and the issues raised there about the fire service in Manchester, and there is also work by HMI[CFRS] as well.
The way the Plan has been written, that is being consulted on, is it is able to adapt to those changing things unlike previous plans. Again, it is not a criticism; it is just a reality. They appeared to be sort of fixed in stone. We cannot afford that to be the case with this Plan because of things being so fluid. A big concern is the built environment. You will be aware the LFB itself has said there are more than 1,000 buildings in London where the stay put advice may not be the right advice because the Fire Service does not have confidence in that built environment being able to withstand a fire. It is a moving story and the LFB is trying its best to have a Plan that reflects that. That is why involving Londoners is so important and the more they engage at this stage, the more Londoners are aware.

Anne Clarke: Thank you so much. Thank you, Chair.